After offloading many titles over the last year, Variety and Farmers Weekly publisher Reed Business Information returned to revenue growth in the first three months of 2011, parent Reed Elsevier (NYSE: RUK) says in an interim management statement for the period.
It credits “improvement in RBI’s markets and the benefit of the portfolio actions taken”, adding: “The data services and online marketing solutions businesses grew particularly well.” But it’s still not rosy across the board – Reed says “leading brands have stabilised but “other business magazines and services continue to be impacted by difficult print advertising markets particularly in continental Europe”.
Reed Elsevier reported Q1 revenue growth in all of its divisions, though specific figures are rarely given in these interim management statements.
Information Week, EE Times and Farmers Guardian publisher United Business Media (LSE: UBM) wasn’t so shy. Stating Q1 interim figures for the first time ever, it said online revenue rose 42.8 percent to £19.7 million after it bought Canon, GAO and OBGYN.net (up 14.2 percent without that effect). UBM now expects “good growth” in full-year digital income, but “some moderation” toward year’s end.
UBM’s print revenue from 114 magazines still fell by 10 percent even after selling some titles in France, the UK and the US.. UBM expects print to be down 12 percent for the full year.
Without the addition of those acquisitions, revenue rose 7.5 percent to £237.7 million.